Extreme Cold in Iowa, January 6 to 7, 2015

Name: Extreme Cold in Iowa, January 6 to 7, 2015
Start: 2015-01-06T03:00
End: 2015-01-07T01:00
Location: Iowa

January 6 to 7, 2015 · NWS DMX · 31 events in 31 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 31 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 31

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.

The strongest outbreak of cold air this season so far swept into the state during the evening of the 6th and held its grip into the early morning hours of the 7th. A strong Arctic cold front moved through the state in the wake of the fresh snowfall that occurred on the 5th. Temperatures fell to between zero and 10 below zero F over a large part of the state. The winds were a major factor with northwest winds sustained between 20 and 30 MPH with gusts in the 40 to 45 MPH range. The combination of winds and sub-zero temperatures produced wind chill values of 30 to near 40 below zero from the early morning hours of the 6th into the early morning hours of the 7th. Winds became west and diminished during the evening of the 6th, though temperatures fell to around -10 by that time. It wasn't until after midnight that winds diminished to the point that wind chill values were in the -20's.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 5, 11:37 PM CST, 3 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 5, 11:37 PM CST, 3 hours 23 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 5, 11:47 PM CST, 3 hours 13 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1147 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

IAZ004>007-015>017-023>026-033>036-070600-
EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO-
POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-SAC-CALHOUN-WEBSTER-HAMILTON-
1147 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
NORTH CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS
GUSTY WINDS DEVELOP. ARCTIC COLD TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS IN THE 20
BELOW TO 40 BELOW RANGE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

IAZ027-028-037>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-070600-
BUTLER-BREMER-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-
BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-JASPER-
POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION-MAHASKA-ADAMS-UNION-
CLARKE-LUCAS-MONROE-WAPELLO-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-WAYNE-
APPANOOSE-DAVIS-
1147 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

WIND CHILL VALUES OF 10 TO 20 BELOW ARE EXPECTED BY LATE TONIGHT
OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS
GUSTY WINDS DEVELOP. ARCTIC COLD TEMPERATURES AND WINDS WILL
COMBINE TO PRODUCE DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS IN THE 20 BELOW
TO 35 BELOW RANGE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 5, 10:50 PM CST, 4 hours 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1050 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

...TIME...  ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
...DATE...  ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1048 PM     SNOW             ELDORA                  42.37N 93.10W
01/05/2015  E6.0 INCH        HARDIN             IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

0830 PM     SNOW             2 NE GRIMES             41.68N 93.75W
01/05/2015  M5.8 INCH        POLK               IA   NWS EMPLOYEE

            NW JOHNSTON

&&

NWS DES MOINES IA
IRIS SYSTEM

Local storm report, Jan 5, 10:55 PM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1055 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

...TIME...  ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
...DATE...  ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1054 PM     SNOW             MASON CITY              43.15N 93.20W
01/05/2015  E5.0 INCH        CERRO GORDO        IA   BROADCAST MEDIA

            KIMT TV

&&

BF

Local storm report, Jan 5, 11:02 PM CST, 3 hours 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1102 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

...TIME...  ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
...DATE...  ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1000 PM     SNOW             1 S CEDAR FALLS         42.51N 92.45W
01/05/2015  E7.0 INCH        BLACK HAWK         IA   PUBLIC

            VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

&&

BSS

Local storm report, Jan 5, 11:06 PM CST, 3 hours 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1106 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

...TIME...  ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
...DATE...  ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1105 PM     SNOW             2 WSW MINBURN           41.75N 94.06W
01/05/2015  E5.3 INCH        DALLAS             IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

BF

Local storm report, Jan 5, 11:58 PM CST, 3 hours 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1158 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015

...TIME...  ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
...DATE...  ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1158 PM     SNOW             3 S POLK CITY           41.74N 93.72W
01/05/2015  E6.8 INCH        POLK               IA   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            AT NWS OFFICE IN JOHNSTON

&&

BF

Local storm report, Jan 6, 2:33 AM CST, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
233 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2015

...TIME...  ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
...DATE...  ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0226 AM     SNOW             1 NE WATERLOO           42.50N 92.33W
01/06/2015  M5.6 INCH        BLACK HAWK         IA   BROADCAST MEDIA

            FROM KWWL TV

&&

BSS

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

31 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Emmet

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Emmet forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.378, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Palo Alto

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Palo Alto forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.082, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kossuth

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Kossuth forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.204, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Winnebago

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.378, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hancock

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Worth

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Worth forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.377, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cerro Gordo

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pocahontas

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Pocahontas forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Humboldt

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Humboldt forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wright

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Wright forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.733, -93.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.733, -93.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Butler

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.732, -92.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Bremer

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Bremer forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.775, -92.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sac

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Sac forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.386, -95.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Calhoun

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.385, -94.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Webster

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Webster forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hardin

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Grundy

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.402, -92.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Black Hawk

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Black Hawk forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.470, -92.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Crawford

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.037, -95.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Carroll

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.861 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Greene

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Boone

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.037, -93.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Story

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Story forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.036, -93.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Marshall

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.036, -92.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Tama

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Tama forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Dallas

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Dallas forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 41.685, -94.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Polk

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jasper

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.054 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Poweshiek

When: January 6, 3:00 AM CST to January 7, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Poweshiek forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 41.686, -92.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, January 2015

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 548925, 548926, 548927, 548928, 548929, 548930, 548931, 548932, 548933, 548934, 548935, 548937, 548938, 548939, 548940, 548941, 548942, 548943, 548944, 548945, 548947, 548948, 548949, 548950, 548951, 548952, 548954, 548955, 548956, 548957, 548958.